Glimpses of Power and Glory

What a strange month this has been.

Where is the blazing, sunny, miserable weather we call July in Texas? It seems I’ve spent most of the summer studying radar maps and watching flooding videos. It’s all quite bizarre.

Today, as the deep gray sky covers the sunrise and raindrops fall on my roof, I’m reminded of all the tears shed over massive losses.

Why so much destruction?

I’m amazed at the amount of junk dislodged and driven downstream. Why am I mesmerized by those videos? It’s like staring at a wreck—I can’t seem to look away.

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The Need to Understand

I feel the need to defend my God when I see such overwhelming destruction—destruction He alone could have stopped. I want to explain how He works and why.

But who am I to know the heart of the Creator? Who am I to try to assign simplistic explanations to the mystery of the great I Am?

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A Strange Kind of Comfort

Watching the raw force of water gives me a glimpse of God’s power. This uncontrollable, brown current is enough to bow my prideful knee and stiff-necked head. Awestruck, I realize this is only a fingerprint of His might.

Oddly enough, it comforts me to realize that neither I nor any elected official is in control. My daily worries don’t seem so important in light of that truth. I’m just a blade of grass—here today and gone tomorrow—riding this planet for a limited but unknown number of days.

He designed this planet—its rivers, valleys, and oceans—and then gave us the gift of dominion over it. We were called to care for His creation. How deeply He must love us to entrust such majesty into our hands.

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Look for the Helpers

I was recently reminded of Fred Rogers’ advice: “Look for the helpers.”

When I do, I see God’s compassion at work. Helpers step into chaos, trying to restore normalcy after the floods. It is His Spirit within them that drives them to serve those most devastated by the raging, junk-filled waters.

In moments like these, it’s undeniably clear that God has placed His Spirit in us. We send food, money, and support—often more than the recipients can receive. And somehow, it’s easier to see God in others during these moments.

Maybe it’s because we’ve finally stopped to look.

Maybe it’s because we’re usually too busy to notice.

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A Quiet Challenge

It’s sad that it takes loss and despair to see the Holy Spirit in ourselves and in others. Are we only moved in crisis to be His hands and feet? Or is His Spirit always present—and we just don’t pause to notice?

Must devastation wrench my eyes away from my trivial pursuits? Why don’t I feel this same desire to help the hurting on a sunny day at the beach?

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A Simple Prayer

Lord, help me listen for Your voice when the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming. Give me eyes to see and meet need without the help of 24/7 news of devastation.

Stained Glass Not Required

 

If you saw that picture above and thought how much you would like a grilled cheese, you are my people. More heavenly minded folks saw an image of Jesus in this sandwich. There are often reports of someone seeing the image of Jesus in a potato chip, tortilla or a cloud. I haven’t ever seen the image of Jesus in my toast but if we love God we should experience him in other ways. The question is this: Is encountering Jesus in our daily walk just for the super-religious? 

Have you ever imitated the walk of someone who you consider godly, in the hope of having a better connection to God? I have. And it doesn’t work. We shouldn’t be discouraged when we don’t experience Jesus like others do. We are individualized, unique creations. If I see the fingerprint of God in snowflakes you may see a reason to dread the cold day. Don’t assume that you are less saintly because you don’t see God’s fingerprint in the same thing as someone else does. In fact, we need to quit labeling people as holy and not so holy. Don’t assume you are too worldly to ever see him, let alone have a conversation with him. All God’s children have the capability to experience Christ walking with us through our day. But each in his own way. 

One of the great hymns, I Need Thee Every Hour, was written by 37-year-old homemaker Annie Hawks, while doing her household chores. If you listened to the link above, you know she must have been inspired by God to write those words. Stained glass and sacrifice is not required to communicate with our Savior. We don’t have to be a missionary to Africa, and we don’t have to attend church (although a good church equips us to experience him). We don’t have to change our lives to be fit for him. Jesus comes to us right where we are even if we are just a regular work-a-day Joe without visions of Christ in our cornbread. 

How do I know? The Bible tells me so. In those stories, Jesus came to folks interrupting their sin-filled daily life: Getting water at a well, climbing up in a tree, begging for money, touching Jesus’ clothes in a crowd-packed street, facing stoning by judgmental interrogators, having a bad day of work fishing, being outcast from society for leprosy, stealing money in the form of excessive taxes, and dying on a cross as a convicted thief. Each of these not only saw and spoke to Jesus, they encountered him. “But of course they saw Jesus,” we say, “they had a physical flesh and blood person walking around doing miracles and we only have a spooky Holy Ghost!”

How can I “see” Jesus when he can’t be seen with my eyes? I have to remind myself that many who saw Jesus in flesh didn’t recognize him. Consider that pride-filled rich young ruler. He was standing in front of Jesus in the flesh having a discussion and didn’t see or accept what Jesus was saying to him. So even though Jesus was physically right in front of folks, many didn’t believe their eyes. 

What was the barrier for that rich guy? I have often wondered what made some believe and follow and some walk away unchanged. For that guy, I don’t think the barrier was being rich, young or a ruler. My best guess is that it has to do with attitude of the heart. Those who encountered Christ, have one thing in common. They humbled their hearts. They saw and experienced Jesus’ compassion when they were humble and desperate enough to listen. Pride has no place in the Kingdom of God. 

Or maybe the rich young ruler was too busy to listen. Maybe he was thinking about his next business deal and thought he would impress the client if he had a conversation with Jesus. So another barrier, I think, is busyness. I don’t encounter God when my to-do list is full of plans for the next step. It is only when I make an effort for a time of no commitment or distractions and ruthlessly eliminate hurry that I most often experience God’s goodness. 

Since Jesus is not flesh and blood walking among us, we cannot rely on our sight to see him. We need to encounter him in other ways. Holiness and stained glass is not required to hear from the God of the Universe. The Father loves us dearly and he seeks us all. Not everyone has a blinding light experience like Saul/Paul. Yet even he had to be teachable to accept what God had in store for him.

Cars and Jesus

 

I said a sad goodbye to my little blue Jeep Wrangler after ten years of driving her. She had not one bell or whistle but I loved that about her. She had hand-crank roll up windows, and if you wanted to lock her, you reached over to the other side of the Jeep and physically pushed the lock. In her place I got a 2025 Explorer with ALL the bells and whistles. Dora can do so much more than I ever thought about. No, she doesn’t do my taxes, but I unwittingly discovered that she can drive herself. I was driving down I45 to see my daughter in Galveston and set my cruise control. The steering got really stiff and messages popped up on the large display in front of me stating that she was hands-free driving. 

At first I didn’t let go of the wheel. But I gradually loosened my grip noticing that she was staying right between the lines better than I ever could. Then I took the leap. When there were no cars around and a straight road, I let go to grab a piece of gum and unwrapped it. She stayed on track perfectly. I kept experimenting with letting go and each time she was flawlessly driving. A car dodged in front of me and she slowed down and maintained a safe space between us. Eventually when driving home through Houston on a quiet, slow-traffic Sunday morning, I let her drive. Since I absolutely hate driving with a passion, I found Dora’s talent quite freeing. A month later I received a message from Ford saying that my free subscription to hands-free-driving had expired. Lol, it was fun while it lasted. 

This description of driving wasn’t just to brag about my new car, although I obviously did. It was for an illustration. You have probably heard the song by Carrie Underwood, Jesus Take the Wheel. Well this hands-free driving gave me a better taste of what it takes to let go and let God steer me. 

The Bible doesn’t say, God helps those who help themselves. However it says a lot of things about giving total control to Him. The Bible doesn’t say if we reach deep in ourselves we can handle anything life throws at us. It says life is tough and to rely on the Holy Spirit within us. The Bible doesn’t say we are perfect as we are and don’t need help. It says that we are all sinners and are in need of a Savior. 

So here is my simplistic analogy: First I must admit that I cannot steer my own life perfectly, I am tired of the effort, and I need help. Then I must realize that I have been given the help I so badly need in the form of the Holy Spirit within me. Next I must test this out by slowly letting go. I must quit working so hard at making myself do and say the right things, relying on the gift of a greater power inside me. Last, like my hands-free driving experience, I can peacefully relax knowing God loves me and is holding me 24/7. Oh the freedom is liberating! And the subscription? It comes when we love Him. 

The Facade

 Far too often I have stomped my foot and said “I will never”.  No one has ever said to me, “You know, you need to be more decisive.” But through these last few years I have discovered a beauty and growth that changing my mind can bring about. 

At the ripe old age of ten, I thought it would be beyond horrible to live in a stucco house. Then my family moved to New Mexico. Since then I have been blessed to live in many stucco houses including the one I live in now. Looking back I see how silly I was. I see now how my own rules and preferences limited my choices for no reason. How many blessings have I missed because of my silly personal rules and pig-headed mindset? 

In the Bible, being stiff-necked is not a desirable attitude. So why do we often see flexibility and changing our mind as a personality flaw? We unflatteringly label those who change their minds as wishy-washy. We forget that listening to the Holy Spirit to guide us requires a pliable mindset. Instead of drawing so many lines in the sand maybe we could open the door to be blessed with friendship, joy and new perspectives. 

We laugh about the ridiculous number of rules that the Jewish Pharisees followed but how many do we try to follow to live in polite society? Never double dip; always answer I’m fine how are you; answer yes ma’am and yes sir; wipe your feet before you walk in the door; tip the wait staff; wipe down the shower door after you use it; pick up the dog poop when you walk your dog; open the door for people; offer to help in the kitchen; give your seat to those who are elderly and this list could continue to well over 613! Rules we follow in polite society can be overwhelming. But these are not the rules that this blog is about. It is about those personally chosen inner rules. 

It is about the ones that sound like “I won’t ever”. The “I won’t evers” cover choices about what we eat, drink, drive, and where we live, what we do for a living, who we hang out with, church attendance, schools we attend, clothes we wear and our favorite pastimes. All of these things are legitimate choices we have to make. 

What if we removed all the “I will never” lines we made in the sand? Would we turn into a bunch of liberal hippies living in a commune or would we be more open to what the Holy Spirit has in store for us? What if we considered eating something that we have sworn we would never eat? What if we considered going to a church we said we would never attend, going to a school that is not special or elite, wearing an outfit that doesn’t suit our age, hanging out with someone with whom we wouldn’t normally associate, driving a vehicle from that company that we don’t like or taking a new job living somewhere we never would consider. Would that make us out of control or would that allow the Holy Spirit to shine through making us happier people with lots of choices? Many times the rules we make for ourselves are the toughest ones to break. They are a prison of our choosing. 

Blessed, broken and forgiven: These are the actions Jesus made when he initiated the covenant of the last supper. He does the blessing and forgiving. Maybe we need to spend a little more time on the truth of our brokenness. If, like me, you have always seen changing your mind as a weakness, maybe it is time that you take the first step to stop the facade of strength, and begin living in truth as flexible, broken, forgiven and joyful. 

Skibidi Ohio and Doo Wop

 I once heard a story of Oprah that said she quit following the Christian faith when she read scripture that said God is a jealous God. She said that she couldn’t follow anyone who said they were jealous. I have no idea if this story is true but I get it. No one would want to follow a God that was jealous in the sense of the word that we currently understand. But if this story is true, what she didn’t consider was the meaning behind the interpreted word, jealous.

Much like the title of this blog, jealous is an easily misunderstood stump-the-band kind of word. And to make it more difficult, this same English word bears different meanings in different parts of the Bible. Its use in describing God in Exodus and Zechariah is very different from its use in 1 Corinthians that tells us love is not jealous.

Our present day understanding of jealousness bears the following synonyms.

envious, covetous, resentful, begrudging, bitter, malicious, spiteful, greedy, selfish

This is not my understanding of God! After a bit of searching, I found the biblical meaning in a footnote in the Amplified version of the Bible.

“There is no implication of envy in the ‘jealousy’ of God, but rather the boundless enthusiasm of the Lord which loves holiness, hates sin, brings judgment upon sinners, and intervenes on behalf of His godly ones.” ~Charles Feinberg, God Remembers.

Am I adept in ancient Hebrew? Do I have a degree in theology? No and no. I simply listened to the Voice that told me my current-day understanding was wrong and investigated using tools that anyone can access today. I stopped reading and searched these tools. I didn’t leave this passage until I found the answer from a trusted source that was in line with the God that I know. 

As I understand it, interpreting ancient texts is nothing like translating from one language to another present day language. When my understanding of new Gen Z terms like “skibidi Ohio” is sketchy, how can text from over 3000 years ago be easy to decipher? Imagine how someone 2000 years from now would understand the title of this article.

I must rely on people who study this ancient language for a living. One theologian (I can’t remember who), said that the Bible was a collection of works by inspired authors about their view of God from their place in history, each like a facet of a gemstone. So to understand scripture I must immerse myself in the culture of the author and read it from that perspective. 

Reading the Bible is not like reading a novel, although some parts like Esther are more readable than others. It is rather, a seeking-type reading. I must be careful not to pluck scripture out of context of the culture in which it was written and apply it to support my opinion. I am sure I have done this in my lifetime and I believe that those who do this publicly on social media will be held accountable for this someday, even if it is a click-of-the-button repost. 

I have an understanding of the character of God that came about over 65 years of sermons, prayers, Bible lessons and experiences. But I still need to slow down when I read the Bible. I still need to seek out meaning and not take everything at face value. I still need to listen to scholars who study the ancient text. But most of all, I need to listen to the Voice that tells me when I am getting it wrong and approach the Bible with an open heart and prayer.

Are You Clark Kent or Superman?

 The goal is up there, just over the horizon. But in between are dark valleys, massive mountains, and narrow slippery switchback roads. So I crank up the radio, hold the steering wheel with a death grip and maneuver around the beast of a bolder that is right in front of me.

This is how I have approached 99% of my life as a Christian. This is a try-harder style of Christianity; in other words: legalism. Following the rules while juggling elephants. I know legalism is a big issue with Jesus, so maybe I should re-think this route. Maybe I am wasting my time on all these switchbacks and narrow roads. Maybe I should simply use the big paved highway and wait for the get-out-of-hell-free card. But Jesus made it clear that I was not to take the easy way. Far from it!

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

We shouldn’t be surprised by the difficulty of our journey. I’m still juggling elephants here. We all are. We need help, Lord! But I must remember, the Father knows what I need. He knows my challenges. He has walked my walk in flesh. That is why he sent power for this difficult road in the form of the Holy Spirit. In fact, Jesus told the disciples multiple times that he was sending help.

John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever---the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

John 20:21-22 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

The Good News is we do not have to white knuckle our lives as Christians! What He gave to the disciples, he gives to every follower of Christ. We have been given a beautiful gift from our Father and it is our superpower. Why should we try to conquer our day as Clark Kent when we can simply rely on our God-given superpowers? So where is the phone booth? I’m ready to rely on his superpower. What do I have to do to engage it? Is there a magic word? Where do I begin? It is made quite clear in the Bible that we receive the Holy Spirit when we believe but living by the Holy Spirit does not come naturally to us.

H.

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i.

l.

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y.

Engaging the power steering is to humble ourselves and admit to God that we cannot do this on our own. It is an attitude. To that I whine, “Not humility! Anything but that. Are you sure about that? I don’t remember that verse.”

God demanded a humble quiet spirit from the get-go. When I searched, I found so many examples of God’s expectation of humility starting in Genesis going through to Revelation. Look at the life of Jesus. Humility was always in the forefront and in the background. Here are a handful of the many examples that I found in my search.

To Pharaoh God said:

Exodus 10:3 “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?

The Lord said to King Solomon:

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

King David notes this about God.

2 Samuel 22:28 You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.

Psalm 25:9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

The prophet Isaiah notes over and over about being humble.

Isaiah 29:19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Jesus said:

Matthew 23:12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

The Apostle Paul instructs:

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

And a description Jesus’ life on Earth:

Philippians 2:6-11 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death---even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here is instruction from James, the half-brother of Christ:

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

And finally I leave you with the words of the Apostle Peter who probably struggled with pride as much as anyone.

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

So I can see that the requirement for humility cannot be denied. It is a prerequisite to living a life pleasing to God. He wants us to step into that phone booth daily, let go of our pride, lay down our elephants, humble ourselves before the him and allow the power of the Holy Spirit to lead our life in his superpower strength. Then tomorrow morning when I wake up as Clark Kent, I will gratefully remember the way that God managed my elephants without my effort and I will step into that phone booth again.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

For encouragement listen to this song. Letting go is step one.

Memorize It, They Said

 Do you remember that scene from Charlie Brown Christmas where Linus stands up and quotes scripture from Luke 2? It is a sweet memory that is probably engraved in your mind as it is in mine. As a Baptist preacher’s kid I have been required to memorize scripture more times than I can recall. One of my first attempts was for a Christmas play. I was required to memorize half of a verse and say it at the right time. The half verse was this: “for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Of course this was King James Version because, back then we didn’t have choices. I balked, declaring that it was poor English and made no sense. I begged my parents to let me change it to make sense. That did not fly. So I said it. And I am sure it was with zero enthusiasm and a lot of prompting and my attempts to memorize after that day never got easier.

I have been required to memorize multiple verses, poems, and even a short story. But here is the rub. I never could successfully quote a single sentence unless I was saying it with a group or it was set to music like the ABC song. I always had to improvise. I could never lead the Lord’s Prayer or even quote John 3:16 without a flub up. Ever. Even with hundreds of repetitions, never could I quote anything from movie lines to the Gettysburg address flawlessly. And it is not that I haven’t tried. More recently I have downloaded an app to help me memorize. I spent time once a day for a couple of years attempting to memorize verses. Even after all those attempts, it never stuck. I often questioned God on why my brain couldn’t memorize. He gave me no direct answer.

I often tell this story of my mom. My mother suffered with dementia in her later years so I would attend church services with her in her nursing home. One Sunday, a pastor in the middle of his sermon quoted John 10:10 leaving the end unfinished for his sleepy, geriatric audience to complete. He said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more–.” He stopped and waited. I was thinking, “dude, know your audience,” when much to my surprise, mom lifted her head and boldly filled in “abundantly.” I sat there amazed with tears in my eyes.

Sometimes bits and pieces of those failed memorized passages will come to my mind out of the blue much like mom’s did. Being curious about where in the Bible the random phrase originated or if I made it up, I will type the words into the Google search bar and the scripture address pops right up. And it was always what I need to hear when I need to hear it. My recall and my mom’s recall(and the Google search engine) amaze me. I’m sure all of it can be explained away scientifically but this could never explain how the brain came to be engineered this way. I know Who created my brain. I know Who set the stars in the heavens. And I know Who brings those phrases to mind at just the right time.

Choosing Joy: #Asburyrevival

 He prayed then preached a normal sermon in a college chapel service on a Wednesday. It was given in a quiet humble spirit. It wasn’t what you would think of as deserving of an amazing response but it was from the heart. He spoke of love. He spoke of all the kinds of love. He spoke of horrendous acts of evil that masquerade as love. Then he spoke about agape love. He explained that agape love was perfect sacrificial forgiving love for friends and enemies. He spoke of his own works-based futile struggle to love like this. In conclusion, he stated that all agape love has One Source and we can only receive it by truly believing that we are loved by God. The agape love of Christ will naturally overflow from us to the world. He prayed again and the camera shut off.

What happened next has been told by many sources. I picture it like dominoes falling. Students began quietly, humbly pouring their hearts out to God. And it continued until at present count, ten days later, people are still lined around the building waiting to come in and experience this amazing outpouring of grace. Stories of acts happening in the event sound like those that the apostle Paul spoke of in the book of Acts.

A friend posted this verse in response to this outpouring of the Spirit.

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

My gut response over this news is two-fold. I am naturally a jaded fearful human who knows how the evil one and his army can spin things. And I have no doubt that he will do so. But I am also a child of God. And I know His power over evil. So this response is joy.

I choose joy.

#Asburyrevival

Guns and Roses

 

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“Once you become a Christian you will always be kind and no longer be selfish and petty”.

what we thought…

Like this statement, so often the Christian life is portrayed as all butterflies and rainbows. While life with Christ is sweet, it is not easy. Non-Christians hold Christians to a higher standard and Christians themselves often believe they should no longer be tempted by desires that are unhealthy. So often we feel defeated by the temptation to make that nasty post even if we don’t do it. You may be surprised to know that even the Apostle Paul struggled with sin. To me, one of the most comforting passages of scripture is Paul’s letter to the Romans expressing his frustration with sin even after his conversion. 

Romans 7:15-25 NIV  I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do---this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law;  but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

And this was written by a guy that sacrificed his life to spread the truth of Christ! I have found my Christian walk to be more like guns and roses rather than butterflies and rainbows. All weapons and beauty with thorns. It seems like the closer I walk with God, the more I see my penchant for selfishness and pride. So what are these weapons? Is there no relief from my broken, rebellious nature? Where are those roses when all I see are the thorns? Well, the Apostle Paul not only sinned but he seems to be an expert in thorns too.

The truth that we must remember is that Jesus loves us while we are broken. He gave his life for us while we were in this condition. What makes me think that he no longer expects me to sin now that I am a follower? This is not said as an excuse, but as a difficult struggle. The difference belief makes is that the desire of my heart has changed. This is what creates the tension I feel. And if I did not have this tension, I would have to question my faith. I believe God knows my heart and knows my struggle. While He does not remove the thorns, he considers me His own child and loves and forgives me.

Do I have any help living to this higher standard while struggling in this twisted world? Did God give me any weapons against my sinful nature, or am I left to fend for myself? Paul included this answer in his writings. 

Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

And so it goes to reason that God wouldn’t give us these weapons from the Spirit if the Christian life was supposed to be easy. We are still haunted by our sinful nature but what we have been given from God is desire and weapons. Yes, weapons! And with the gifts of the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit we are more than conquerers through Him who loves us. Bring on the guns and roses!

The Good Book

 Psalm 119:105 NIV

[105] Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

One thing that I have been struggling with lately is the pull of reading good Bible-based books in the place of reading the Bible itself. There are so many wonderful scripture inspired books being written right now. I get excited about them and want to spend some of my quiet time reading them instead of going straight to the scripture.  

However, in these faithful book studies, the authors point out that the true source is the Bible and the Holy Spirit speaking to me through it. All other words, from Billy Graham or C.S. Lewis or Henri Nouwen or Martin Luther King or John Wesley, pale in comparison to the words of the Bible itself applied to an open heart by our Holy Spirit. 

Does this mean we should toss the words of C.S. Lewis and the gang? Oh no! One caveat for those books about the scripture is that they can be used as a tool to lead us to the scripture itself. This is why we should continue to read them. But we should be careful that we don’t allot all our precious time to them, disregarding the reading of the Bible itself. We should prioritize and value the Bible above the others.  It is like baseball.  It is good to learn how to steal bases or what to do in a squeeze play.  But it is worthless if you don’t know how to throw, catch and hit the ball. The Bible teaches our heart the basics. 

Hebrews 4:12 NIV
[12] For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

But what if I don’t understand the Bible? How can I read it?  Remember that the Holy Spirit is given to each of us when we give our hearts to God. He is an interpreter. Pray for his guidance and trust that He will show you what you need to find. Don’t compare yourself to others. Look to God. Trust the Holy Spirit and learn from the words of Jesus.  

When I get more excited about reading a book about the Bible than I do about the Bible itself, I have to review the amazing journey the words of the scripture have made throughout history. This reminds me of how God has protected his Word through wars, plagues, fire, flood and decay.  I have to remind myself that the very words I am reading have gone through a miraculous journey of time. I have to remind myself of the fairly recent amazing discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls which verified, magnified and reinforced the truth of the scripture handed down through the ages. I have to see that no other book has endured the test of time like our Holy scripture.  And I have to realize the privilege I have to read them myself. 

Part of Dead Sea Scroll 28a from Qumran Cave 1. The Jordan Museum, Amman.jpg
From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
[16] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

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